Yvonne Paul
Yvonne Paul (born March 22, 1929),[1][2] also known as Yvonne Poghusian, was a Dutch diplomatic staffer, best known for the period of her life where she lived in Schiphol Airport between 11 October 1967 and the 5th of January 1968. This period was the most notable in multiple attempts to return to the United States, where she had previously worked.
Personal life[edit]
Yvonne Paul was born in Manado, a city in modern-day Indonesia but which at the time of her birth housed a significant presence by the Dutch East India Company. She was born to parents of Armenian heritage, though her father opted for Iranian citizenship when Indonesia gained its independence.[3] Manado would be attacked by the Japanese in World War II, and the family spent time in a Japanese-run internment camp. Later on, Yvonne and her parents would move to the Netherlands, where they would attain Dutch citizenship, though she claimed that this was at the behest of her father - Yvonne expressed early on a desire for American citizenship.
Having completed her high-school studies in Amsterdam, she studied languages in Paris, and worked for several years at the Philips branch in Persia.[3] Inspired by a tourist visit to the United States in 1958, Paul successfully applied for a secretarial job at the Dutch Embassy in New York. This role would last until 1964, where her employment (and prior tenancy with a flatmate) ended under circumstances which remain uncertain. Paul's behaviour deteriorated somewhat at this time, which resulted in her voluntary commitment to a psychiatric hospital (though, by her own confession, this was chosen as the alternative to immediate deportation from the US). Though she later managed to attain work, by April 1967, US Immigration Enforcement decided she was no longer entitled to a work visa and deported her for the first time. Reporting at the time suggested that this was the result of Paul's unwillingness to be subject to further psychiatric evaluation by American doctors.[2] At some point after April, Paul attempted to re-enter the United States without the necessary immigration documents, and was deported for a second time on October 9, having exhausted all legal appeals.[3]
Stay in Schiphol[edit]
Having returned on a second KLM flight, on October 11, Yvonne Paul opted to create temporary accommodation in the Departure Lounge of Schiphol Airport. Her initial expectation that she would soon be able to obtain the legal documents that she required to return to the US, though she was unwilling to accept external support when it was offered to her.[4]
Word quickly spread amongst the airlines and in the national press about a Dutch citizen who was going to great lengths to return to her adoptive homeland. On October 23, the American Consul-General to the Netherlands (Mr Harold Howland) reminded all flight providers of the financial penalties that would be incurred by facilitating another entry attempt by Paul.[5] By the November 9th, greater international attention to this news story began to develop, with coverage in the likes of the New York Herald Tribune, the BBC and CBS News.[citation needed]
Dutch Foreign Minister Joseph Luns attempted to persuade the American authorities of the merits of Yvonne Paul's application for residency permits,[6] thought such appeals were ultimately unsuccessful in preventing a second rejection on November 17.[7] Throughout the course of December, US authorities would go on to re-affirm their decision,[8] and airport authorities prepared to remove Paul from the Departure Lounge as it became increasingly certain that she would never legally re-enter the USA. After refusing a request to vacate voluntarily, on the 5th of January 1968, Yvonne Paul was arrested and forcibly removed.[9]
She was charged with trespassing by the public prosecutor of Haarlem, but was later admitted to Santpoort, a local mental institution. At that time, prosecutor L.H. Feitsma dropped the charges against Paul. Following her discharge from Santpoort on January 26, 1968, the government declined to pursue charges since she did not take up residence again in Schiphol.[10]
Later that year, Paul tried to enter the United States from Paris' Orly Airport. She was unsuccessful, but tried once more to enter the US in December 1968, that time through Switzerland. After a discussion with the Dutch ambassador at Bern, she was returned to the Netherlands with a psychiatrist and psychiatric nurse accompanying her.[11]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Familiebericht". Soerabaijasch handelsblad. 1929-03-22. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- ^ a b "Vrouw bivakkeert dagen op Schipol" [Woman spends days at Schiphol]. Utrechtsch Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 1967-10-20. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- ^ a b c "Kleine vrouw vecht al 11 dagen op Schiphol verbeten strijd uit" [Little woman has been fighting a bitter battle at Schiphol for 11 days]. Nieuwsblad van het Noorden (in Dutch). Amsterdam. 20 October 1967. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- ^ "Yvonne Paul al 3 weken op Schiphol" [Yvonne Paul has been at Schiphol for 3 weeks]. Utrechtsch Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 1967-10-31. p. 8. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- ^ "Amerik. Consul waarschuwt tegen vertrek Y. Paul" [America. Consul warns against Y. Paul's departure]. Utrechtsch Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 1967-10-24. p. 7. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- ^ "Yvonne Paul: "Ik blijf"" [Yvonne Paul: "I'm staying"]. Grenswetenschap.nl (in Dutch). 2020-05-04. Archived from the original on 2012-11-04. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- ^ "Yvonne Paul opnieuw door VS geweigerd" [Yvonne Paul again rejected by US]. NRC (in Dutch). 1967-11-18. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- ^ "Yvonne, Picket Without a Country". New York Daily News. 1967-12-24. p. 13. Retrieved 2024-02-13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Yvonne Paul vandaag van Schiphol gedragen" [Yvonne Paul removed from Schiphol today]. Leidsh Dagblad (in Dutch). 1968-01-05. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
- ^ "Vrijdag uit inrichting ontslagen Yvonne PAUL vanochtend even op Schiphol" [Released from the institution on Friday. Yvonne PAUL was at Schiphol this morning]. NRC (in Dutch). 1968-01-29. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
- ^ "Yvonne Paul boekte weer voor vs" [Yvonne Paul booked again for vs]. Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant (in Dutch). 1968-12-31. Retrieved 2024-02-13 – via Krantenbank Zeeland.